The origins of honey and beekeeping go back millennia. The practice is depicted on papyrus records and scenes painted or inscribed on ancient Egyptian temple walls. Raising bees was not restricted to the Mediterranean region. The Aztecs were also fond of honey, enjoying it for breakfast in a chocolate beverage made with hot chili peppers and vanilla. What’s more, Amerindian peoples boiled their corn with added honey and Chinese writings from the 16
Depending on the species of flower visited by the bees, honey has a specific aroma, flavour and colour. Quebec is home to a number of types of honey, notably clover (1), wildflower (2), blueberry (3), raspberry (4), goldenrod (5), linden (6), apple (7), buckwheat (8) and dandelion (9).
The fossil record tells us that bees have been around for over 40 million years. Though ancient, bees are a highly evolved species of insect with well-developed senses. Their eyes detect multiple colours including black, white, yellow, blue, blue-green and violet, but not the colour red.
The domesticated bee (Apis Mellifera) is an insect with a hairy body and narrow waist. Bee society is made up of 3 distinct groups:
1. The queen: the biggest bee in the colony, measuring 16 to 20 mm.
2. The workers: female bees, 12 mm long, are the bees we see buzzing from flower to flower outside the hive.
3. The drones: the male bees.
Honey, of course, is made from the nectar found in flowers. Flying from blossom to blossom, the bees harvest the sweet nectar which they deposit in the individual cells in the hive. With the help of air circulation caused by the flapping of the bees’ wings, the nectar turns into the thick sweet liquid we call honey.
The bees stockpile honey to serve as a reserve food supply. It takes 7000 bee-hours of work to produce 500g of honey! The average hive produces about 40 kg of honey a year. Quebec beekeepers harvest the honey usually twice a year, once at the end of June and once at the beginning of September.
